The Girl Who Set His Brutal Soul on Fire
by caeliaskies
Summary: Cato and Katniss are the last two tributes left for the 74th Hunger Games. A sudden last minute rule change has allowed them to both be Victors. Yet not everything is as it seems and these two must figure out what they are before more blood is spilled.
1. Chapter 1

CATO POV

Clove's cannon had gone off signaling the end of her short life. I had been too slow, hearing her calls and for once fear had paralyzed me and she had paid with her life. Sure this was the Hunger Games, but for once I felt that maybe this wasn't right, sending 24 kids to fight to the death. You could label us; Careers, Tributes, Bloodbath, anything you really wanted but we were still kids. Snarling in an animalistic way i unsheathed my sword and gazed around furiously till I saw it shimmering in the grass; an arrow. Of course she would be behind this. That sewer rat, that Girl on Fire. She had outsmarted us in every way, getting a higher training score and stealing sponsors. She wasn't supposed to live, she was just some scrawny girl from District 12. Yet.. every time I thought of her I couldn't fathom myself killing her. _ME_ Brutal, Bloody, Monstrous Cato couldn't fathom killing this girl. Because until she came along everything was so predictable, and the Games were basically over. Sure Clove was dangerous but just like Katniss, if I got my hands on her, arrow or knife wouldn't save her. Stalking towards the wheat field where no doubt Thresh hid, I had one goal in mind. Revenge. Revenge for Clove who would have been a Victor with me, we would have brought honor to our district. Instead she would be shipped back in a box, unable to experience the riches and finer things of life. All I knew for sure was that I would rip apart the remaining tributes till the fields were painted red with blood and the screams would never be forgotten by the Capital. I was a brutal monster and that's how I liked it. There was no room for love in these games; Love just made you weak. Yet why did I feel something like that for Katniss. Maybe because no other girl was like her that I had met. Maybe because being a tribute was an honor for us, just like volunteering was. Yet for Districts like hers they were death sentences especially for District 12. Yet Katniss still volunteered knowing there was a strong possibility that she wouldn't return alive; just so her sister could live another day. I knew letting my mind get caught up in all this was bad while I was hunting, but hearing Clove calling for me was still frozen in my mind, on repeat. Thresh had been hiding here since the Bloodbath like a coward. Sometimes I think if we had been successful in recruiting him into our pack, Clove would be alive and maybe Girl on Fire would be dead. From the moment I saw him I knew he would be one of the last ones alive. Lip curling, I thought at least he wasn't useless like Lover Boy. So he could throw weights, big deal it wouldn't prevent him from being shredded, or killed by some creation. The girl from District 5 was dead, caught by someone else, but I suppose she had killed her attacker as well. There was only 4 left and Top 5 hadn't been good enough for Clove. I could hardly care about Glimmer and Marvel, they were just something to fill the pack with. The District 4 tributes had been weak and I personally disposed of them in the Bloodbath. Call me heartless, or whatever other demeaning name you could come up with but this wasn't a place to make friends or be nice.

A rustling deeper in the fields drew my attention and I reverted back to training mode. Slithering silently throw the wheat, sword clenched in my grasp; an extension of my arm really. Whatever weapon Thresh had, his only chance was disarming me. Or severing my arms, which ever came first. I won't lie, this confrontation had been one both the Capitol and I had anticipated for quite some time. The rustling getting closer, I realized it was too quite for Thresh. No one of his size could move that quietly without training. It could be Lover Boy, but that fight would be a joke. Everyone knew the outcome of that. Descending my sword in an arc as a head popped out, severing it from its body in one fell swoop. Just a rabbit, I thought crossly. Normally I would be opposed to eating game, but I had to resort to that now thanks to Fire girl. Her and her stupid arrows, blowing up our supplies. Smart and crafty, it was a shame she wasn't a Career or a girl back things would certainly be different. But wishful thinking was just that; wishful. There wasn't no if's, and's or but's in the Hunger Games. Kill or be Killed; survival of the fittest in its purest form. Parents would be unable to ignore their children dying, forced to pray that theirs would be the victor. But 11 pairs of parents would mourn the loss of their child, taken before their time. Even the death of 12 year olds like that District 11 girl touched me a bit. Even our kids at 12 wouldn't survive so there was almost a negative chance that their child would. Sighing I knew there was a small chance I would find Thresh tonight, especially due to the fact that he had spent almost every moment of the games in here. Adding a wheat field just helped him even more, and rubbed salt in my wound. I'm sure at this point my mentor was screaming at me, for letting Clove die, for not ending these games sooner. She had wanted Fire Girl and I had wanted Lover Boy. I understood her need to get Katniss but mine was something different and unknown. Maybe a pang of jealousy every time I thought of Katniss in his arms. I wanted her in my arms saying my name instead of his. Honestly who named their kid Peeta?

Setting a fire, knowing that no one in their right mind would attempt to go after me now. The rage resulting in my district partner and semi-friends unnecessary death fueled my desire into winning even farther. Nothing would hold me back. Not Thresh and especially not Fire Girl and Lover Boy. I hated to admit it but Katniss dying would pain me for a moment. She would be the only one who died fast, even if she was semi responsible for Clove dying. Clove, Clove Clove I had to stop thinking about her. Unfortunately, thinking about it would cause slip ups. And those I simply cannot afford. Like most tributes I have a family to get back to, even though I didn't promise. Why promise something so unpredictable. Sure the Capital liked me, mostly the women of course but no where as close to Fire Girl before nerdy Lover Boy created the whole "Star Crossed Lovers". Since then she's been on a whole other level then I have been, especially with sponsors and popularity. But tomorrow popularity would save no one. They could pray and scream for mercy but none would come. Because mercy is something that doesn't register with me. I am Brutal,Bloody, Soulless Cato. And I will win the 74th Hunger Games in a way no one else ever has or will.

**AN: Well this idea has floated in my head the last few days. I absolutely love the idea of Cato X Katniss since they work so well together. The first four chapters will be POV of the Final Four and Chapter 5 will resume to 3rd person POV. Read and review I guess and feel free to contribute ideas, and anything to help improve the story. I don't own the Hunger Games, characters or any variation. The story will be updated once or twice a week depending on how much time I have after school.**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2  
>THRESH POV<br>I knew killing the District 2 tribute was stupid, helping District 12 was stupid. It just made me a bigger target than I already was. But hearing Clove mention Rue was too much. Mocking the death of an innocent 12-year-old girl was crossing the line. I didn't care if she was a young girl herself, she thought this was fun. That killing children was_ fun_; when in reality it was beyond disgusting. The Capitol was disgusting and their District lap-dogs were almost as bad. Getting reaped was a death sentence, but I wouldn't go down without a fight. I knew that Cato would be coming for me. Now this wasn't me accepting my death it was just acknowledging that I would die in the next few days. There would be no me begging for my life, because that would just make my District more of a laughing-stock. No, if this boy came after me looking for a fight, he'd get what he wanted. You could say I was hiding like a coward for most of the games, but in reality I was just biding my time. Waiting for the perfect moment to strike. Somehow I knew that the District 12 tributes would still be alive; Katniss really. Peeta was just a surprise, as bad as that sounded. I had expected him to be a Bloodbath tribute like his district usually was. But Katniss had something burning in her, something that I only saw in Cato besides her. We all _wanted_ to win but those two knew they would win. They had the atmosphere of victors the moment they entered the training room on day one. If one wanted to get into specifics maybe even at their reapings.  
>There was hardly anything left at home for me. With me dying here, my family wouldn't have to worry about feeding me. With two older and two younger siblings at home, food was scarce and some nights we all went hungry. If either of my younger siblings had been reaped I would still be in the position I'm in now. The only disadvantage of camping continuously in this wheat field was the lack of water. Capitol water pills had been in my bag, and just basic things in the District 2 one. I knew I was taunting Cato by taking his bag, but to this point I knew I had been disappointing to the viewers. They had probably expected me to ally with the Careers and destroy the other tributes in the Bloodbath. Shrugging on my backpack I wandered deeper into the fields, knowing that I already had one tracker on me. I didn't need to remain stationary and allow the other 2 to get a beat on my location. Food was easy to get here with all the wheat and occasional bird or rabbit. To be honest I had thought that the games would be so much different this year. Last year's games had been a dud with The District 6 winner merely poisoning everyone. A majority of the tributes this year had been dangerous, whether they showed it.<br>Darkness was descending quickly which meant unless the others had night vision glasses then I had _survived_ another night. Somehow I was bringing honor to my district, but in ways the Careers couldn't. Even though Rue had died I knew her training score had shocked so many. That some tiny girl from an outlying district could get a respectable 7, nevermind the fact she was only 12. I guess I had been expected to get a high score but I hadn't gotten arrogant. Nor had I gone out of my way to kill other tributes, only when it was necessary. So many children had been the Capitol's play toys, and I refused to go out playing along. Readjusting the grip on the scythe that I had snagged in the very beginning, I proceeded to clear a path as wheat rustled farther behind me. Either a tribute or some kind of mutt that the game makers had whipped up. That was _exactly_ what I needed at the moment; an angry Career and bloodthirsty mutts. Hustling, and traveling deeper into the field I knew this was all counter productive. If they wanted to, the game makers could have me heading right towards Cato. Peeta was no threat to anyone, unless Katniss was with him. She could probably pin anyone of us with an arrow, then kill with the next. Even at my size and surprising speed I couldn't dodge an onslaught of the projectiles, especially from someone who was deadly accurate. Again that brought me back to the Cornucopia and caving her. _Why_ had I decided to save the second best competitor, even though it meant I wasn't any closer to getting home.  
>Truth be told the answer was so obvious. While we all wanted to be the Victor of the 74th Hunger Games, there was only one person who deserved it. The person that would be the face of the nation and something so much bigger. Katniss Everdeen had to win, even if it meant I could never see home again. Never hear the laughs of my family, or my few friends. Our final meeting had been so bittersweet with all the tears shed, just like how my blood would be shed soon. No cannons going off meant that there had been no final confrontation yet; despite all my hatred towards the games the final moment was one I wanted to be in. So that my final words could be directed of the sick Capitol citizens and letting them know exactly what I thought of them. How horrific it was that tearing about families brought them joy. Having little children go insane in the arena and slit the throats of their friends was <em>entertainment<em>. How I wish that they could be placed in our shoes. That would be entertainment and retribution for all the grieving families over the last 74 years. I had only 2 years left, two years till I was free of this insanity. Sure if I had never been reaped and gone onto live a normal District 11 life and get married the one question would hover over me. Would I want to have children? Subject them to this cruelty, and risk them coming back only to wake up screaming from the eternal nightmares they would face? I had heard that so many Victors resorted to sex, drugs and alcohol because of those nightmares. Sweet Annie Cresta had gone insane after her games. Would I want to continue the lineage of my family, or would I want to protect any possible children from this life?  
>Staring up at the moon, I heard the Head GameMaker's announcement and realized it had changed everything about the games once again...<br>AN: Well this is Thresh's chapter. Sorry if it seems rather bland compared to Cato's but the book and movie never really shed light on Thresh. Thanks to the two reviewers InLovWithHG and colorprism! Can we get up to 5 reviews for Katniss' POV chapter later this week? I don't own the Hunger Games or any character/variant of them nor is any profit made of this fanfic.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello all Caeliaskies here! Sorry about the lack of double chapter last week, the goal wasn't exactly met but I was also busy. I did write the chapter, but unfortunately for some reason it was deleted twice from my computer so Peeta's chapter will be up Wednesday/Thursday. I also have a new story, a Harry Potter Fanfic that popped into my head this morning. At the moment the prologue is up and it may seem short with only 747 words, but it will be about the same length chapters as this. Anyways theres a few things I'd like to address. Nothing bad to be honest just wanted to thank the reviewers, the followers and the people who favorited this story. I was really hesitant to post it since I'm more of a fic reader than writer but lately I've just had a few reviews. I didn't really think at this point it would have 350+ views which may not seem like alot for you, but to a novice like me it's really reassuring that I'm doing something sort of right. Anyways the Harry Potter fanfic is Scorpius M/Rose W. called Silver Roses and will probably be 20+ chapters if I'm motivated enough. Sorry for this long AN/Update without a chapter, I just really have to write the chapter and school is a bit hectic at the moment.**

**Link for Silver Roses**

** s/10801782/1/Silver-Roses**

**Thanks for all the support!**

**Caeliaskies~**


	4. Chapter 4 His Deathbed

p style="text-align: center;"strongHis DeathBed/strongbr / Death was inevitable, especially in the arena. Then again that's what you got when you pitted 24 kids against each other for fun annually. Staring at the night sky made one wonder, what their death would be in here. Mutts, squirrels or floods? All of them sounded excruciatingly painful and drawn out. Then again that was the Capitol, making sure the Games were always eventful. This year, star crossed lovers was a whole new thing which is why the crowd was eating it had been raking in the sponsors, and if it wasn't for Katniss, Peeta had no doubt that he would have been a BloodBath tribute or slayed when he approached the / Peeta knew that District 12 kids hardly made it this far. He remembered a case a few years ago where everyone thought their tribute would slaughter the competition. Randall King had been 17 when he was reaped and everyone had put their faith in him. Towering at 6'2 and built like a Career, he was an instant Capitol favorite; a diamond in the rough from the coal miners. His partner had been a tiny 13 year old girl called Wendy Wilkins, from the richer part of town. The pity had swarmed in when they saw the mismatched pair, a scrawny doe eyed girl who had seemed so innocent. Yet, she would soon prove that looks weren't everything. King had defended her in the arena, drafted into the Careers who were looking a bit weak at the time. At the final 4 she had been pinned by a District 6 boy until King erupted from the woods, brutally beating the boy to death. After the skirmish he had turned to check on her, when the tiny girl brutally brought an axe down on his arm, tearing through bone. The sweet girl had turned brutal monster, slowly killing her district partner. Some say she turned crazy in the arena, but Peeta still thought she had been insane / Maybe that's what the Capitol wanted to happen this year? For him and Katniss to turn on ach other, show that district partners weren't as close are perceived. He could do it now, while she slept; simply put her out of her misery. All the fight had left him awhile ago, this was all simply for her. Just so she could see Prim again, Peeta was prepared to sacrifice himself, so maybe he could be more than just the Boy with the Bread to her. Shaking his head he gazed around, trying to dismiss his silly thoughts. There was Gale, and even other Hob kids that would be better for Katniss, people she could relate to better. Hell he had even seen District 2's male tribute have a predatory look in his eyes since day 1. br / Hearing the nation's anthem, Peeta could feel chills running through his body; there had been no cannons so why an announcement now? Whatever it was, it surely meant the games were wrapping up. That the Capitol was tired of the bloodless days, the peacefulness was more of a hindrance to them now. They had all been in here for 8 days, when the average Games length was only 4-5. Sure there had been plenty of action the first few days, but it had slowly flared out and come to a / A new booming voice filled the Arena, and at this, Peeta knew his life was /br /AN:Incredibly sorry for this short chapter, but after losing a 2k+ worded chapter twice, there wasn't a lot of motivation. I don't think I'll be updating Silver Roses this week, but expect it Monday-Tuesday. Please do drop a review as it's feedback in a way that helps me know which way this story should go./p 


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